Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (82) | Chapter on the desirability of visiting graves for men

0:00 *Riyad al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous), from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

0:09 Chapter: The Desirability of Visiting Graves for Men, and What the Visitor Should Say.

0:18 On the authority of Buraydah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

0:23 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

0:27 "I had previously forbidden you from visiting graves, but now visit them."

0:33 Narrated by Muslim.

0:35 Among the beneficial points of this hadith:

0:38 The hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

0:42 contain the abrogating (*nasikh*) and the abrogated (*mansukh*),

0:44 just as found in the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.

0:47 This only occurs in commands and prohibitions;

0:51 as for informative reports (*akhbar*) regarding Allah, Mighty and Majestic,

0:54 or regarding His Messenger, peace be upon him,

0:57 abrogation is strictly impermissible.

1:00 The prohibition against visiting graves is abrogated according to what is stated in this hadith.

1:06 Encouragement to visit graves as a recommended and commendable act,

1:12 because the command came after a prohibition,

1:15 thus indicating permissibility or recommendation, as established in legal theory (*usul al-fiqh*).

1:19 The underlying wisdom (*'illah*) in visiting graves

1:22 is that it serves as a reminder of the Hereafter,

1:24 softens the heart, brings tears to the eyes,

1:28 reminds one of death, and shortens worldly hopes.

1:33 Visiting graves does not mean seeking assistance from the dead,

1:37 supplicating to those within them, or crying out to them for help,

1:40 for that is polytheism (*shirk*) which contradicts the wisdom of the legislated visit.

1:45 On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:

1:50 Whenever it was her night with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

1:54 he used to go out,

1:59 towards the end of the night, to al-Baqi',

2:03 saying: "Peace be upon you, abode of a believing people.

2:08 There has come to you what you were promised,

2:11 deferred until tomorrow,

2:13 and we, if Allah wills, shall soon join you.

2:17 O Allah, forgive the inhabitants of Baqi' al-Gharqad."

2:21 Narrated by Muslim.

2:25 Al-Baqi' is the graveyard of the people of Madinah.

2:29 "There has come to you what you were promised deferred until tomorrow"

2:32 means that what you were promised would occur in the future has now reached you.

2:37 "Deferred" (*mu'ajjalun*)

2:39 refers to the appointed period between death and the Resurrection.

2:45 Al-Gharqad is a type of thorny tree,

2:49 and the cemetery of Madinah was named after it

2:52 because this type of tree was present there.

2:57 Among the beneficial points of the hadith:

3:00 The permissibility of visiting graveyards at night.

3:03 The dead have witnessed what Allah promised them of bliss or punishment,

3:09 and in this is affirmation of the punishment and bliss of the grave.

3:13 The ultimate fate of every living being is death.

3:17 The recommendation of seeking forgiveness for the believers,

3:20 and that this brings benefit to them.

3:23 Regarding the meaning of the exception (*in sha' Allah*) in his saying, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:

3:27 "And we, if Allah wills, shall soon join you,"

3:30 there are two interpretations:

3:32 The first:

3:33 It refers back to the meaning of his saying:

3:36 "Abode of a believing people,"

3:39 meaning:

3:40 "And we shall join you in a state of faith, if Allah wills,"

3:45 since no believer is safe from tribulation;

3:48 we ask Allah for safety.

3:50 The second:

3:52 It is not spoken out of doubt,

3:54 but rather in accordance with the customary idiom of the Arabic language.

3:56 Do you not see the saying of the Exalted:

3:59 ﴿You shall surely enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, in safety﴾?

4:05 And doubt cannot possibly be attributed to Allah the Exalted,

4:09 the Knower of the unseen.

4:12 On the authority of Buraydah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

4:16 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

4:19 used to teach them, whenever they went out to the graveyards,

4:22 that the speaker among them should say:

4:26 "Peace be upon you, inhabitants of these abodes, among the believers and Muslims,

4:31 and we, if Allah wills, shall soon join you.

4:35 I ask Allah for well-being for us and for you."

4:39 Narrated by Muslim.

4:41 Among the beneficial points of the hadith:

4:45 The Prophet's keenness, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to teach his Ummah what benefits them.

4:51 Knowledge precedes action,

4:53 which is why the Messenger, peace be upon him,

4:56 taught them before they acted.

5:00 It is impermissible to undertake an act of worship without knowledge.

5:05 The recommendation of supplicating for the dead,

5:08 including oneself in the supplication,

5:11 and specifically designating the greetings of peace and supplications for the people of faith.

5:15 On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:

5:20 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

5:23 passed by some graves in Madinah,

5:26 so he turned his face toward them and said:

5:29 "Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of the graves.

5:33 May Allah forgive us and you.

5:36 You are our predecessors, and we are following in your footsteps."

5:39 Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.

5:43 "Our predecessors" (*salafuna*) means those dear ones who died before a person.

5:48 "Following in your footsteps" (*nahnu bi-l-athar*)

5:51 means we shall be following you shortly.

5:54 Chapter: The Dislike of Wishing for Death Due to Harm That Has Befallen One,

6:01 and That There Is No Harm in It Due to Fear of Tribulation in One's Religion.

6:05 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

6:09 that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

6:13 "None of you should wish for death;

6:17 for if he is a doer of good, he may increase in it,

6:21 and if he is an evildoer, he may seek to make amends."

6:25 Agreed upon, and this is the wording of al-Bukhari.

6:30 In a narration by Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

6:35 from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:

6:39 "None of you should wish for death,

6:42 nor pray for it before it comes to him;

6:46 for when one dies, his deeds come to an end,

6:50 and indeed, a believer's life only adds to his goodness."

6:55 "He may seek to make amends" (*yusta'tab*) means that he might return to Allah the Exalted

7:00 in repentance and redressing injustices,

7:02 seeking the pleasure of Allah the Exalted.

7:05 Among the beneficial points of the hadith:

7:09 The prohibition against wishing for death and asking for it from Allah the Exalted

7:13 before it descends upon a person,

7:15 because an increase in life spent in piety towards Allah the Exalted

7:18 brings an increase in good deeds.

7:21 Supplication is answered when it coincides with an hour of response;

7:25 for this reason, wishing for death was prohibited,

7:28 and it is counted among the disliked forms of supplication.

7:32 A believer should take advantage of his life

7:36 in obedience to Allah and in increasing good deeds,

7:39 and in holding oneself accountable and repenting

7:42 from whatever sins and misdeeds have issued from him.

7:46 On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

7:50 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

7:54 "None of you should wish for death because of harm that has afflicted him;

7:59 but if he must do so,

8:02 let him say:

8:04 'O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is good for me,

8:08 and take my soul if death is good for me.'"

8:13 Agreed upon.

8:15 On the authority of Qays ibn Abi Hazim, who said:

8:18 We visited Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, may Allah be pleased with him, to inquire after his health,

8:23 and he had been cauterized seven times.

8:26 So he said:

8:27 "Our companions who have passed away before us departed

8:30 without the world diminishing anything of their reward,

8:33 while we have attained worldly wealth for which we find no place except the dust.

8:38 And were it not that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

8:42 forbade us from praying for death,

8:44 I would have prayed for it."

8:46 Then we came to him another time while he was building a wall of his,

8:52 and he said:

8:53 "Indeed, a Muslim is rewarded for everything he spends,

8:57 except for that which he puts into this dust."

9:02 Agreed upon,

9:04 and this is the wording of al-Bukhari's narration.

9:07 "Departed before us" (*salafu*)

9:10 means they died and went to Allah, Mighty and Majestic.

9:14 "Without the world diminishing anything of their reward"

9:16 means they did not enjoy any worldly pleasures

9:20 that would diminish what has been prepared for them in the Hereafter.

9:25 "We find no place for it except the dust"

9:29 means we accumulated wealth beyond our need,

9:32 finding no place to store it except in the earth,

9:37 burying it therein out of fear of theft.

9:40 Among the beneficial points of the hadith:

9:44 The prohibition against wishing for death.

9:46 The virtue of Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, may Allah be pleased with him,

9:51 his deep awareness of his Master,

9:54 and his severe self-reproach and self-reckoning,

9:58 even in permissible matters.

10:00 Encouragement to visit the sick.

10:03 The virtue of emulating those who died upon Islam

10:06 before partaking in any of the worldly luxuries.

10:10 Spending on construction and building

10:14 carries no reward if it is done without a genuine need or necessity,

10:18 because it is putting wealth in other than its proper place,

10:22 and because spending excessively on building fosters attachment to this world

10:26 and distracts from the Hereafter.

10:28 The permissibility of cauterization when needed,

10:32 as it is the final remedy;

10:34 however, one should know that cauterization is disliked

10:38 because it conflicts with optimal reliance on Allah (*tawakkul*).

10:41 Chapter: Scrupulousness (*Wara'*) and Avoiding Doubtful Matters.

10:46 Allah the Exalted said:

10:50 “When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is very great.” (24:15)

10:55 And the Exalted said:

10:57 ﴿Indeed, your Lord is ever watchful.﴾

11:00 On the authority of al-Nu'man ibn Bashir, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:

11:06 I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saying:

11:11 "Verily, the lawful is clear,

11:13 and the unlawful is clear,

11:16 and between them are doubtful matters about which many people have no knowledge.

11:21 So whoever guards against doubtful matters

11:23 clears his religion and his honor,

11:26 and whoever falls into doubtful matters

11:28 falls into the unlawful,

11:30 like a shepherd who grazes his flock around a sanctuary,

11:33 on the verge of pasturing within it.

11:36 Truly, every king has a sanctuary;

11:39 truly, the sanctuary of Allah is His prohibitions.

11:43 Truly, in the body there is a piece of flesh:

11:46 if it is sound, the entire body is sound,

11:49 and if it is corrupted, the entire body is corrupted.

11:52 Truly, it is the heart."

11:56 Agreed upon.

11:58 Both scholars recorded it through various chains with similar wordings.

12:02 "Clear"

12:04 meaning evident and manifest.

12:06 "Doubtful matters"

12:09 meaning ambiguous issues, because they resemble both the lawful and the unlawful.

12:14 "So whoever guards against doubtful matters"

12:16 meaning steers clear of ambiguities and takes precautions against them,

12:20 "clears his religion and his honor,"

12:22 meaning he safeguards his religion against deficiency

12:26 and his honor against defamation.

12:28 "The sanctuary (hima)"

12:30 refers to protected pastureland reserved by the ruler,

12:33 who warns against grazing within it.

12:35 "His prohibitions"

12:37 meaning the acts of disobedience that Allah has forbidden,

12:40 such as murder and theft.

12:43 "A lump of flesh (mudghah)"

12:44 meaning a small piece of flesh.

12:47 Among the lessons of the hadith:

12:51 Allah Almighty revealed the Book unto His servant,

12:54 clarifying within it for the Ummah all that it needs regarding the lawful and the unlawful,

13:00 and He entrusted the clarification of what is intricate in the revelation

13:03 to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

13:06 By Allah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not pass away

13:10 until he had left the path clear and manifest.

13:14 Allah and His Messenger left no lawful matter without making it clear,

13:18 nor any unlawful matter without making it clear.

13:21 However, some matters are more evident in their clarity than others;

13:25 thus, whatever is plainly manifest, widely known, and whose ruling is established,

13:29 leaves no one with an excuse of ignorance

13:32 in a land where Islam is prevalent.

13:35 There is an intermediate realm between the lawful and the unlawful

13:39 where the two become conflated,

13:42 and whoever guards against it has indeed attained salvation.

13:45 Doubtful matters that are not clearly known to be lawful

13:49 or unlawful to many people,

13:52 just as the Prophet (peace be upon him) informed us,

13:56 may become clear to some individuals as being either lawful or unlawful

14:00 due to the additional knowledge they possess.

14:05 Whoever finds a matter doubtful must leave it,

14:08 because one who indulges in doubtful matters despite their ambiguity

14:12 was described by the Prophet, peace be upon him,

14:15 as having fallen into the unlawful.

14:18 The driving force behind safeguarding one's religion and honor,

14:21 or falling into doubtful matters,

14:24 is the rectitude or corruption of the heart's inner state.

14:27 For if the heart's state is sound,

14:30 the actions of the limbs will be sound,

14:33 and the servant will avoid prohibitions and guard against doubtful matters.

14:36 A servant ought to safeguard

14:40 the matters of his religion, uphold nobility of character,

14:43 and shun whatever undermines it;

14:46 for whoever enters places of ill repute

14:49 will be suspected. Falling into clear prohibitions

14:53 does not happen all at once, but rather gradually;

14:56 for whoever excessively indulges in disliked and doubtful matters

14:59 develops the audacity to commit

15:02 what is fundamentally prohibited, becoming addicted to it.

15:05 A servant should take precautions for his religion,

15:08 thus leaving that which is harmless

15:11 out of caution against falling into that which is harmful.

15:14 Knowledge is a light through which the servant perceives

15:18 the true realities of things that remain hidden

15:21 from many people.

15:24 Inward righteousness leads to outward righteousness,

15:27 and vice versa.

15:31 [Riyad al-Salihin]

Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (82) | Chapter on the desirability of visiting graves for men

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